Best Instagram Parental Controls to Keep Kids Safe Online
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Key takeaways
Instagram provides a range of built-in features to help protect young users’ online safety.
For further protection, such as blocking inappropriate content, setting time limit, or blocking the entirely, Cisdem AppCrypt is a good option.
Instagram is one of the most popular social media programs, especially among adolescents. It lets young people share photos, videos, stories, and keep in touch with friends. But parents are becoming aware of the danger of Instagram and are looking for ways to set up Instagram parental controls. This article explains how to do that.
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The Best Parental Control App
- Block websites on Chrome, Edge, Safari and more browsers
- Let you block specific sites, like instagram.com
- Let you block popular sites in certain categories, like social media, with 1 click
- Let you block all porn sites with 1 click (on Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad)
- Lock individual apps, like Instagram, with password
- Let you block websites and lock apps permanently or at scheduled times
- Help you block inappropriate content on Instagram
- Help you set time limits on Instagram
- Easy to use
- Hard to bypass
- Available for Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone and iPad
What are the Dangers of Instagram?
- If parents don't timely intervention and monitoring, the Instagram app may damage your kids’ mental health. Since they via a perfectly innocent search could encounter the terrible contents that contain porn, violence, drug use, gamble, gun sales, etc.
- The ability to tag a location (geotagging) is dangerous for kids. Followers with ulterior motives would find out exactly where your kids are.
- Similar to other media platforms like Facebook and Snapchat, Instagram easily makes children addicted to it. They spend days glued to the app and ignore the communication with families. It is a waste of time and not good for the growth of children.
Does Instagram Have Parental Controls?
Basic Instagram parental controls are available (no monitoring feature). You can take measures to keep your children from inappropriate content on Instagram. But to restrict the use time by children, you need ask Instagram block apps for help.
Note: Instagram uses algorithms to show up related content based on past posts, tags, searches, etc. If your kids haven't searched for the sexual terms, they will not see those harmful contents. Moreover, children typically find nothing when hunting for explicit sexual contents, unless they use more obscure terms.
Instagram Parental Controls Review
#1. Change Privacy Settings
On mobile phone:
- Go to the profile.
- Tap the triple bar in the top right corner.
- Touch the “Settings” at the bottom > “Privacy”.
You will be able to put Instagram parental controls on privacy:
- Comments- Block comments from special followers, and turn on the option- “Hide Offensive Comments”, hence your children will not see aggressive and injurious comments on Instagram posts.
- Story- Hide your kids’ stories and videos from someone, and select who can reply the stories.
- Activity Status- Disable the option, or people will know when your children are actively on Instagram.
- Account Privacy- Switch “Private Account” on, and then only approved users can see the Instagram posts of your kids.
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On computer:
1. Head over to instagram.com.
2. Click 
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.
3. Click the “Privacy & Security”.
But the privacy setting on computer is different. It lacks the “Story” option (Story Sharing as instead), and you should hide bad comments using keyword Filters.
#2. Turn off Push Notifications
On mobile phone:
- Go to profile
- Tap the triple bar.
- Touch the “Settings” > “Notifications”.
- Toggle the "Pause All" option on.
![turn off push notifications]()
It's an awesome idea to control how notifications are received on Instagram. This puts you in charge of the frequency that your kids obtain the notifications, ranging from 15 minutes to 8 hours.
#3. Unfollow Someone
On both mobile and computer:
- Navigate to profile.
- Hit “Following” at the top of the screen.
- Choose the people you don’t want your kids to follow, and hit on “Following” > “Unfollow”.
Stop your children from following people who bring negative energy.
#4. Remove Followers
On mobile phone:
- Still on profile, and tap “Followers”.
- Scroll through your followers list until you find someone you need to remove and tap the three dots button to the right.
- Tap “Remove”.
#5. Report an Account, Post and Comment
Instaporn, the sexualized content on pure photo app, has found methods to access the minds of adolescents. If you don’t perform Instagram parental controls and report those porn or abuse contents, your child is very likely to be one of the victims.
One: Report or block a user
On mobile and computer:
1. Go to the account profile you intend to report
2. Hit 
(Android) or 
(iOS and computer)
3. Report or block the user.
On your mobile phone, you can also choose to restrict the account.
Two: Report a post
On mobile phone:
- Locate the post that you’ve got an issue with.
- Tap the three little dots.
- Tap “Report…” > “It’s inappropriate”, and finally choose your reasons, such as “Suicide or self-injury”, “Violence or dangerous organizations”, etc.
On Computer:
- Find the destructive post.
- Click on the three dots.
- Choose “Report inappropriate” > choose a reason like “Nudity or pornography”.
Three: Report a comment
On mobile phone:
- Tap the comment you wish to report.
- Tap the exclamation point in the upper right corner.
- Choose “Abusive Comment”.
On Computer:
- Find the inappropriate comment.
- Click on the three dots button next to it.
- Choose “Report” > “Abusive Comment”.
#6. Check Search History
To know whether your kid has searched for dangerous contents or not, check his or her search history.
On mobile phone:
- Locate to your child’s profile.
- Tap the three dots button.
- Tap “Settings” > “Security” > “Search History”.
Once you find out something inappropriate, clear it immediately and tell your child not to search the related posts anymore.
#7. Remove the Location Data
On mobile phone:
- Head over to a post that you would like to remove its location.
- Tap on three dots button.
- Tap on “Edit”.
- Tap the location > remove it > save your change.
#8. Disable Comments for Existing Post
Optional steps of Instagram parental controls
On mobile phone:
- Choose the post you want to alter.
- Tap the three dots button.
- Select “Turn Off Commenting”.
How to Block Instagram on Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone and iPad
Cisdem AppCrypt is an easy-to-use parental control app. It enables you to control your kids’ time spent on Instagram.com and the Instagram app. It can also lock apps like Facebook, Twitter, or block any site on browsers.
This app has a slick interface, making it simple to manage. It is specifically designed for children, young adults, and college students.
Free Download Windows 10 or later 
Free Download macOS 10.12 or later
The following steps show you how to do the blocking on a Windows or Mac computer. The process for blocking Instagram on mobile phones is similar to that on a computer, but even simpler. Phone users can get the app from Android's Google Play Store or Apple's App Store and follow the same general steps outlined below.
Lock the Instagram Client App:
1. Install the software on your child's computer. It will require you to set a password for unlocking items and modifying settings when your first use it.
2. Click the lock icon on the taskbar or menu bar. Click Open Main Window.
3. Enter the password.
4. Click the App Lock tab from the software toolbar. Click the plus icon. Add the Instagram client app to the block list.
To unlock the app, just select the app and press the delete key.
Block Instagram.com:
1. Click on the Web Block tab.
(Windows users will need to install extensions for different browsers the first time access this tab.)
2. Enter instagram.com in the URL field. Click Add.
Pro tip 1. Keep track of unexpected intruder
Once the Instagram client app and instagram.com are blocked, your kids won’t be able to access them. If they try to open Instagram with incorrect passwords, the Instagram parental controls app will record the behaviors via photos taken by Mac camera, and the failed time.
Pro tip 2. Create a schedule to block Instagram at certain times
Click Instagram from the block list. Click the clock icon taht appears. Then turn on Custom Schedule. There, you can limit the time you child can spend on Instgram.
Conclusion
You can't and shouldn't preclude your kids from using Instagram though the risks exist. Installing quality Instagram parental controls apps may be the best solution, which not only meets your kids' demands but keeps them safe online within the control of parents. If you are looking for reliable Instagram block apps for desktop, I highly recommend Cisdem AppCrypt and Cold Turkey Blocker. As for the Instagram monitoring app for iPhone and Android, Pumpic might help.
Norah Hayes likes to share her tips on how to improve focus and stay motivated at work. She believes it is essential to eliminate all online distractions during work hours.
Ethan Long joined Cisdem in 2015 as a developer and now serves as the editorial advisor for Cisdem AppCrypt. He actively tests and uses Cisdem AppCrypt and other screen-time management tools to ensure AppCrypt meets its promises in real-world scenarios.